On Wednesday, four new cranes began operating at the Port of Savannah. These cranes are some of the largest in the world. They are part of the port's efforts to be ready for large ships expected to sail through Savannah on route to the Panama Canal. GPB's Orlando Montoya got a behind-the-scenes tour from 140 feet in the air.

As long as Washington’s government shutdown continues, three key pieces of legislation affecting Georgia are stalled. And observers in Georgia worry how those bills will fare even once lawmakers move past the impasse.

Gov. Nathan Deal is in Panama touring the major expansion underway of the Panama Canal and says the project there underscores the need for the Port of Savannah to deepen its shipping channel. Deal returns to Georgia on Tuesday.

Vice President Joe Biden brought a sense of urgency to Savannah on Monday. The Vice President was in the coastal city to push for Congressional funding for the $600 million Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. Georgia has been seeking to deepen the harbor for 17 years.

US Army Under Secretary Joseph Westfal became the latest Obama administration official to voice support for a plan to deepen the port of Savannah yesterday. Westfal toured the port on a two-day trip to the the Georgia coast.

A Georgia congressman says he expects the U.S. House to take action this fall to eliminate a bureaucratic obstacle to deepening the shipping channel to the Port of Savannah. Democratic Rep. John Barrow of Augusta visited the port Wednesday and said he expects a committee to take up a bill removing the barrier by early October.

When Congress returns to Washington from its August recess -- amid budget and debt-ceiling debates -- the House also must take up a bill that has big implications for the deepening of the Savannah Harbor: it would remove a cap on the cost of the project and allow work to begin.

Jasper County officials are threatening to take over the Jasper Ocean Terminal project. They complain that the effort, overseen jointly by Georgia and South Carolina, is mired in never-ending studies. South Carolina officials say progress is being made.

Gov. Nathan Deal says he's willing to spend state money upfront to start deepening Savannah's busy shipping channel as long as the federal government promises to pay its share of the $652 million project later. Deal told reporters Tuesday during a stop in Savannah the state has $231 million set aside for the Savannah harbor expansion and "we're ready to spend it."